Pope Francis traveling on 'Shepherd One' - CNNPolitics.com Moments from the Pope's White House arrival Story highlights FAA call sign for the American Airlines flight carrying Pope Francis in the United States is "Shepherd One." American Airlines is affixing the papal seal to the plane; has a long history of flying popes within the country. Washington (CNN) The President flies on Air Force One. The Pope flies on "Shepherd One." That's the Federal Aviation-approved call sign for the Boeing 777 in which he'll be traveling around the United States, according to an official from American Airlines, which will be operating the plane. The papal seal will also be affixed to the side of the aircraft, the only major modification that's planned. However, the flight number will be blocked per a Secret Service request, so the public won't be able to track its progress. Once Francis wraps up his Washington visit and returns to Andrews Air Force Base on Thursday to head to New York, he'll ditch the Alitalia jetliner he's been on and pick up the American Airlines plane. Air traffic control officials will use the name "Shepherd One" when speaking to the American Airlines captain flying the plane.

Read More Pope Francis to travel around U.S. on ‘Shepherd One’ | WTKR.com Pope Francis to travel around U.S. on ‘Shepherd One’ Posted 4:36 pm, September 22, 2015, by CNN Wire This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. × Pope Francis to travel around U.S. on ‘Shepherd One’ WASHINGTON (CNN) — The President flies on Air Force One. The Pope flies on “Shepherd One.” That’s the Federal Aviation-approved call sign for the Boeing 777 in which he’ll be traveling around the United States, according to an official from American Airlines, which will be operating the plane. The papal seal will also be affixed to the side of the aircraft, the only major modification that’s planned. However, the flight number will be blocked per a Secret Service request, so the public won’t be able to track its progress. Click here for all of our coverage on Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S.

Once Francis wraps up his Washington visit and returns to Andrews Air Force Base on Thursday to head to New York, he’ll ditch the Alitalia jetliner he’s been on and pick up the American Airlines plane. Air traffic control officials will use the name “Shepherd One” when speaking to the American Airlines captain flying the plane. It’s become customary for the Pope to fly on and return home from official visits on the flag carrier of the country he has toured. The Pope’s aircraft, chartered by the U.S. Conference of Bishops, will fly Francis from Andrews to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and then to Philadelphia International Airport before carrying the pope back to Rome at the end of his first U.S. visit. American Airlines and TWA — which have merged — have a long history of carrying the Pope during visits to the United States. This trip will be the seventh time TWA and American Airlines have flown the Pope around the United States. The plane that carried Pope John Paul II on one of those flights in 1993 — a Boeing 767-300ER operated by American Airlines — is still in operation. It’s scheduled to fly from Miami to Frankfurt, Germany, on Tuesday night.

Air Force One Presidential Boeing 747 and 707 aircraft facts, dates, pictures and history AIR FORCE ONE PRESIDENTIAL BOEING 747 AND 707 AIRCRAFT FACTS, DATES, PICTURES AND HISTORY XB-70 THE BELOW LINKS CONTAIN AVIATION, MILITARY, AIRCRAFT VIDEOS, PICTURES, FACTS, INFORMATION, AUDIO, HISTORY, MOVIES AND PHOTOS Airline Safety | Boeing 307 | Sky Marshals | Aviation Companies | Sega Airline Pilots Arcade Game | Airline Logos | Spruce Goose | B-29 Enola Gay THE BELOW LINKS CONTAIN FLIGHT TRACKING, AIRPORT INFO, AVIATION PIONEERS, USAF REFERENCES, NTSB FACTS AND AVIATION WEATHER AIR FORCE ONE USA PRESIDENTIAL BOEING 747 AND 707 AIRCRAFT FACTS, DATES, PICTURES AND HISTORY AIR FORCE ONE - THE US PRESIDENTS AIRCRAFT Air Force One is the air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States.

Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two specifically configured, highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft - tail codes 28000 and 29000 - with Air Force designation VC-25A. While these aircraft are referred to as Air Force One only while the president is on board, the term is commonly used to describe either of the two aircraft normally used and maintained by the U.S. Air Force solely for the president. An Air Force aircraft carrying the Vice President of the United States is designated as Air Force Two. Conversely, when the president needs to fly to locations that have runways too short for the VC-25A, the president will be assigned one of the Boeing C-32s; Lockheed C-140 Jetstars were also used in this role, notably by Ronald Reagan. As always, when the president is on the C-32A, the aircraft will fly as Air Force One. History The C-54 Skymaster aircraft, nicknamed the Sacred Cow.Theodore Roosevelt became the first president to fly in an aircraft on 11 October 1910.

At the time he was no longer in office, having been succeeded by William Howard Taft. However, prior to World War II, overseas and cross-country presidential travel was rare. Lack of wireless telecommunication and quick transportation made long-distance travel impractical, as it took up much time and isolated the president from events in Washington, D.C. The first "flying presidents" By the 1940s and 1950s, air travel had become safer and more convenient. The first president to fly in an aircraft while in office was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who traveled on a Boeing 314 flying boat to the 1943 Casablanca Conference on the progress of World War II. The threat from the Kriegsmarine's U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic made air travel the preferred method of transportation. The continuing threat from submarines established air travel as a usual means of intercontinental transportation for the president. The Independence.The first aircraft officially designated for presidential flight was the C-87A Liberator Express, a reconfigured B-24 bomber. This aircraft was called Guess Where Two.

However, after a different C-87A crashed, Guess Where Two was no longer used for Roosevelt; the Secret Service reconfigured a C-54 Skymaster as a replacement. This aircraft was nicknamed the Sacred Cow and included a sleeping area, radio telephone, and retractable elevator for Roosevelt's wheelchair. It carried the president to several important events, most notably the Yalta Conference. The Secret Service put the C-87A aircraft to use by having First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt use it instead. After Roosevelt died in spring 1945, Vice President Harry S Truman became the President. He replaced the C-54 with a modified C-118 Liftmaster, calling it the Independence, possibly in reference to President Truman's hometown of Independence, Missouri. This was the first aircraft acting as Air Force One that had a distinctive exterior–a bald eagle head painted on its nose. The Columbine IIIThe presidential call sign was established for security purposes during the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The change stemmed from a 1953 incident where an Eastern Airlines commercial flight (8610) had the same call sign as a flight the president was on (Air Force 8610).

The aircraft accidentally entered the same airspace, and after the incident the unique call sign "Air Force One" was introduced for the presidential aircraft. Eisenhower also introduced four other propeller aircraft, the Lockheed C-121 Constellations (VC-121E) to presidential service. These aircraft were named Columbine II and Columbine III by Mamie Eisenhower after the columbine, the official state flower of Colorado, her adopted home state. Two Aero Commanders were also added to the fleet and earned the distinction of being the smallest Air Force Ones ever. President Eisenhower also upgraded Air Force One's technology by adding an air-to-ground telephone and an air-to-ground teletype machine. Towards the end of Eisenhower's term, in 1958, the Air Force added three Boeing 707 jets (designated SAM 970, 971, and 972), 707-153 models, into the fleet. "Ike" became the first president to use the 707 during his "Flight to Peace" Goodwill tour, from 3 December through 22 December 1959.

He visited 11 Asian nations, flying 22,000 miles (35,000 km) in 19 days, about twice as fast as he would have on Columbine. Air Force One usually does not have fighter aircraft to escort the presidential aircraft over the United States. In June, 1974, Syrian fighter jets intercepted Air Force One to act as escorts. However, the Air Force One crew were not informed in advance and, as a result, took evasive action including a dive. Boeing 707s as Air Force One Main articles: VC-137C SAM 26000 and VC-137C SAM 27000 SAM 27000 as Air Force One Presidential air travel entered the jet age during the presidency of John F. Kennedy. In October 1962, the Kennedy administration took delivery of a modified long-range 707—Special Air Mission (SAM) 26000, although he had used the Eisenhower-era jets for trips to Canada, France, Austria and the United Kingdom.

The Air Force had attempted a special presidential livery of their own design: a scheme in red and metallic gold, with the nation's name in block letters. Kennedy felt the aircraft appeared too regal and on advice from his wife, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, he contacted the French-born American industrial designer Raymond Loewy for help in designing a new livery and interiors for the 707 jet. Loewy met with the president, and recorded that his earliest research on the project took him to the National Archives where he looked at the first printed copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, and saw the country's name set widely spaced and in upper case in a typeface called Caslon. He chose to expose the silver aluminum fuselage on the bottom side, and used two blues; a slate-blue associated with the early republic and the presidency, and a more contemporary cyan blue to represent the present and future. The presidential seal was added to both sides of the fuselage near the nose, a large American flag was painted on the tail, and the sides of the aircraft read UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The result of Loewy's work won immediate praise from the president, the press, and the jet's livery became a global icon.

The 707 markings were adapted for the larger 747 Air Force One in 1989. SAM 26000 was in service from 1962 to 1998, serving Presidents Kennedy to Clinton, but was replaced by another Boeing 707, Special Air Mission 27000 in 1972. Richard Nixon was the first president to use this, and the aircraft would continue serving every president since, until it too was replaced by two 747 jumbo jets (SAM 28000 and 29000) in 1990. SAM 27000 was decommissioned in 2001 by President George W. Bush, flown to San Bernardino International Airport in California, and later driven in pieces to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley where it was reassembled and is currently on permanent display. Transition to Boeing 747s George W.

Bush and Senator Johnny Isakson aboard Air Force One.See also: Boeing VC-25 Though Ronald Reagan's two terms as president saw no major changes to Air Force One, the fabrication of the current 747s began during his presidency. The first aircraft was delivered in 1990, during the administration of George H.W. Bush. Delays were experienced to allow for additional work to protect the aircraft from electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects. Air Force One sits at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on 1 March 2006 One of the most dramatic episodes aboard Air Force One happened during the 9/11 attacks. President George W. Bush was interrupted at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, after the attack on the World Trade Center South Tower in New York City. Bush flew on Air Force One from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and then to Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska before returning to Washington.

The next day, officials at the White House and the Justice Department explained that Bush did this because there was "specific and credible information that the White House and Air Force One were also intended targets." The White House later could not confirm evidence of a threat made against Air Force One, and subsequent investigation found the original claim to be a result of miscommunication. Past aircraft that served as Air Force One President George W. Bush, Laura Bush and former First Lady Nancy Reagan tour SAM 27000, the aircraft that served seven presidents from 1972–2001 now housed at the Reagan Library.Several presidential aircraft which have formerly served as Air Force One are on display in the presidential hangar of the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio (Sacred Cow, Independence, Columbine III, SAM 26000, and other smaller presidential aircraft), as well as at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington (earlier VC-137B SAM 970). United Airlines has the distinction of being the only commercial airline to have operated Executive One, the designation given to a civilian flight on which the U.S. President is aboard.

On 23 December 1973, then-President Richard Nixon flew as a passenger aboard a Washington Dulles to Los Angeles flight. It was explained by his staff that this was done in order to conserve fuel by not having to fly the usual Boeing 707 Air Force aircraft. On 8 March 2000, President Clinton flew to Pakistan aboard an unmarked Gulfstream III while another aircraft with the call sign "Air Force One" flew on the same route a few minutes later. This diversion was reported by several U.S. press outlets and is not a secret event. This was presumably done as a diversion in case terrorists attempted to shoot down the aircraft that the president was aboard. The Boeing 707 that served as Air Force One from the Nixon years to the current George Bush administration (SAM 27000) is on display in Simi Valley, California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The Library's Air Force One Pavilion was opened to the public on 24 October 2005. A VC-118A Liftmaster used by John F. Kennedy is on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. In 2007 U.S.

Air Force requested information from Airbus on the A380 as replacement for Air Force One and the C-5 Galaxy based on maintenance costs and fuel efficiency concerns. Analogs in other countries Air transports of heads of state and government Although other nations use specially equipped aircraft to transport their heads of state, no other mode of transportation for government executives is as well-known as Air Force One. Whenever the Pope flies on an aircraft, it is nicknamed "Shepherd One". Typically, it is a chartered Alitalia jet; however, the tradition is for the Pope to fly to the country he is visiting on a chartered Alitalia jet and to return on a jet belonging to a flag carrier from the visited nation. Popular culture Air Force One is a prominent symbol of the American presidency and its power. With the White House and presidential seal, it is one of the most familiar presidential symbols. It is also famous worldwide, so much so that when then-Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair indicated a desire for a similar personal air transport, the press immediately dubbed it "Blair Force One." Air Force One has often appeared in popular culture and fiction, most notably as the setting of the 1997 action film Air Force One.

In the film, Kazakh terrorists hijack Air Force One and hold the president and other passengers as hostages. The film was noted for its fancifully-exaggerated depiction of the aircraft's capabilities; for example, the real 747s that commonly fly as Air Force One, do not officially carry an escape capsule. A similar contraption was featured in the 1981 film Escape from New York. In Superman: The Movie, Air Force One (a Boeing 707) is struck by lightning flying over Metropolis, prompting Superman to bring it safely to the ground. In the television movie By Dawn's Early Light, the Secretary of the Interior becomes involved in a cat and mouse game on Air Force One (a Boeing 747). Air Force One has been featured in Robert Serling's novel The President's Plane Is Missing, subsequently adapted for a TV movie and its sequel Air Force One Is Haunted. The latter describes supernatural visits to the incumbent President by the ghost of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

© AviationExplorer.com - The Website For Aviation Enthusiasts 7 Things to know about Shepherd One, the Pope's plane - Nairobi News 7 Things to know about Shepherd One, the Pope’s plane Posted on Nov 25, 2015 21524 Views Pope Francis listens to a question from a journalist during a past flight back to Rome from Brazil in 2013. PHOTO | REUTERS By AGENCIES The president of the United States flies on Air Force One; the Pope flies on Shepherd One. That is the Aviation-approved call sign for the Alitalia jetliner in which Pope Francis will be using during his tour of Africa. Here are a few facts about Shepherd One: 1. The plane isn’t really called Shepherd One – People in the United States call it that, but the phrase is a media conceit rather than an actual call sign. The papal plane doesn’t really have a name. Its designation is usually just Alitalia flight AZ 4000 on the outbound leg and beyond that Italians simply call it the Volo papale, or “Papal flight.” 2.

The pope doesn’t own a plane – The term Shepherd One suggests that the pope actually owns a plane, which he doesn’t. Even the term papal plane is something of a myth, since the pontiff does not have his own personal aircraft. The Vatican always charters a plane for the three or four foreign trips a pope usually makes every year, often using a different aircraft for each leg of the journey. These are regular commercial planes making the Rome to London run. 3. The plane is nothing like Air Force One – Calling the plane Shepherd One suggests an analogy with Air Force One, summoning images to mind for Kenyans of conference rooms with large round tables, a presidential suite, red hotline phones, communications rooms with technicians tracking satellite telemetry, and so on. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, the papal plane is a normal commercial jet, and usually the only real perk enjoyed by the pontiff is that he gets to sit in the first row of business class by himself. 4. Meeting the press – Pope Francis has adopted the custom of moving around to say hello to reporters on the outbound leg of the flight, then holding a full-blown, no-holds-barred news conference on the way back.

Those sessions have produced numerous memorable soundbites, including “Who am I to judge?” about gay people on the way back from Brazil in 2013, and the pontiff’s insistence that Catholics aren’t required to “breed like rabbits” returning from Manila in January. Indeed, the pontiff’s penchant for stirring the pot has led to the wry observation that while the seats on the papal plane are generally uncomfortable and the food mediocre, at least with Pope Francis the in-flight entertainment is spectacular. 5. The entourage – Generally speaking, the pope travels with an entourage made up of roughly 30 people. Given that there are basically 70 journalists on the plane, each papal flight is composed of around 100 passengers plus the flight crew. For reporters, the best moments on long flights often come when members of the entourage come to the back of the plane to use the bathroom, and can be pulled aside to take a question, provide background on something, or simply offer some insight into what the pope’s doing up front. 6.

Bell to bell – Reporters who travel aboard the papal plane are required to take the entire trip from bell to bell, rather than being able to drop out along the way. If someone decides on their own to skip the return leg, for instance, it’s virtually a guarantee they’ll never be allowed to fly with the pope again. 7. The return flight – It used to be that when reporters boarded a papal flight, Alitalia would provide sacks full of swag – bottles of wine and perfume, cartons of cigarettes, boxes of chocolate, and so on. Today, the only real memento Alitalia provides is a cloth headrest with the papal seal that most reporters snag from the back of their seats as they disembark. When the pontiff takes the national carrier of a country on the way back to Rome, however, things are often different. Those carriers rarely get to ferry a pope, so they make a big deal out of it. Often they provide a larger aircraft, so people can spread out, and the food and beverage service is usually first-rate.

Latest Stories Most Popular Most Commented September 18, 2015 EDITOR ROME – As the plane carrying Pope Francis to Washington, DC, nears Andrews Air Force Base on Sept. 22, American TV likely will be full of breathless references to “Shepherd One” being on approach, “Shepherd One” touching down, and, eventually, the pontiff descending the steps of “Shepherd One.” It’s not Share: ROME – As the plane carrying Pope Francis to Washington, DC, nears Andrews Air Force Base on Sept. 22, American TV likely will be full of breathless references to “Shepherd One” being on approach, “Shepherd One” touching down, and, eventually, the pontiff descending the steps of “Shepherd One.” It’s not often that a mere two words manage to convey three complete misconceptions, but the phrase “Shepherd One” pulls off the hat trick. 1. The plane isn’t really called “Shepherd One.” People in the United States call it that, but the phrase is a media conceit rather than an actual call sign. Formally speaking, the papal plane doesn’t have a name.

Its designation is usually just Alitalia flight AZ 4000 on the outbound leg, and beyond that Italians simply call it the volo papale, or “papal flight.” 2. The pope doesn’t own a plane. The term “Shepherd One” suggests that the pope actually owns a plane, which he doesn’t. Even the term “papal plane” is something of a myth, since the pontiff does not have his own personal aircraft. The Vatican always charters a plane for the three or four foreign trips a pope usually makes every year, often using a different aircraft for each leg of the journey. These are regular commercial planes that were in use making the Rome to London run, or something like it, the day before the trip and will be again once it’s over. The tradition is for the pope to take the Italian national airline, Alitalia, to wherever he’s going, and then fly the national carrier of that country on his return. When Francis travelled to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January, for instance, he took Alitalia to get there and Philippine Airlines to get back to Rome.

On this trip, Francis will take Alitalia as far as Washington and then American Airlines the rest of the way. (As a footnote, the dirty little secret of papal travel is that the press corps actually subsidizes the pope’s movements, since the roughly 70 reporters on the plane are asked to pay business class airfare in order to fly in coach. Since the 30 members of the pope’s entourage who fly in business aren’t paying anything, this means the cost of the charter is borne almost entirely by the people in steerage.) (This time, the Alitalia fare from the Rome-Cuba-Washington part of the trip is roughly $3,200 while the Washington-NewYork-Philadelphia-Rome part on American Airlines is $2,300, for a grand total of $5,500. That means 70 reporters are contributing $385,000 to the cost of the trip.) 3. The plane is nothing like Air Force One.

Calling the plane “Shepherd One” suggests an analogy with Air Force One, summoning images to mind for Americans of conference rooms with large round tables, a presidential suite, red hotline phones, communications rooms with technicians tracking satellite telemetry, and so on. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, the papal plane is a normal commercial jet, and usually the only real perk enjoyed by the pontiff is that he gets to sit in the first row of business class by himself. Years ago, for especially long journeys, airlines would pull out the first couple rows of seats in business class in order to install a bed for the pope. Today there’s a museum in Kansas City where one can still see the bed used by St. John Paul II in 1979 when he flew TWA, complete with a seatbelt. (Bishop Fulton Sheen jokingly said the airline’s initials on that occasion stood for “Traveling With Angels.”) Now, however, given that most carriers already have seats in first and business class that turn into fully-flat beds, there’s generally no need to modify the normal configuration of the plane.

None of this probably will convince TV hosts narrating the pope’s arrival to lay off the “Shepherd One” references, because the term is just too tempting for American ears, but don’t be fooled: a papal version of Air Force One it’s not. Here are a few other fun facts about papal travel. Meeting the press When Pope Paul VI flew to Jordan and Israel in January 1964, he became the first reigning pontiff in history to travel by airplane. One year later, Paul VI visited New York, which means Francis’ American debut falls on the 50th anniversary of the first papal appearance ever in the States. Since then, each pope has had his own approach to speaking to the reporters who travel with him. In the early years of his papacy, St. John Paul II would come back to the economy section and talk to reporters in language groups, spending a few minutes with the Italians, a few with English-speakers, and so on. It was all off-the-cuff, and all on-the-record.

Later, however, when age and illness made that impossible, the custom became for reporters to be called up one-by-one and have a minute or so to sit next to John Paul, usually just for a quick hello. With Benedict XVI, he would conduct a sort-of press conference at the beginning of the trip. They were highly choreographed affairs, with the Vatican spokesman collecting questions 48 hours in advance by e-mail and picking a few to ask the pontiff. Sometimes reporters would be called upon to put the questions, and sometimes the spokesman would just do it himself. Even so, those sessions did sometimes make headlines. When Benedict went to Cameroon in 2009, for instance, he sparked a firestorm by claiming that distributing condoms in Africa makes the problem of HIV/AIDS worse. (The line drew a formal censure from the Belgian parliament, and prompted the Spanish government to airlift a special batch of condoms to Africa in protest.) Francis has adopted the custom of moving around to say hello to reporters on the outbound leg of the flight, then holding a full-blown, no-holds-barred news conference on the way back.

Those sessions have produced numerous memorable soundbites, including “Who am I to judge?” about gay people on the way back from Brazil in 2013, and the pontiff’s insistence that Catholics aren’t required to “breed like rabbits” returning from Manila in January. Indeed, the pontiff’s penchant for stirring the pot has led to the wry observation that while the seats on the papal plane are generally uncomfortable and the food mediocre, at least with Francis the in-flight entertainment is spectacular. The entourage Generally speaking, the pope travels with an entourage made up of roughly 30 people. Known in Italian as the seguito, literally the “following,” the papal party is typically composed of the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin; one or two other cardinals and bishops; 10 priests, most of them officials of the Secretariat of State; and 20 laity, most employees of the Vatican Press Office as well as plainclothes agents of the Vatican security service and the Swiss Guard. Given that there are basically 70 journalists on the plane, each papal flight is composed of around 100 passengers plus the flight crew.

For reporters, the best moments on long flights often come when members of the entourage come to the back of the plane to use the bathroom, and can be pulled aside to take a question, provide background on something, or simply offer some insight into what the pope’s doing up front. Bell to bell Reporters who travel aboard the papal plane are required to take the entire trip from bell to bell, rather than being able to drop out along the way. If someone decides on their own to skip the return leg, for instance, it’s virtually a guarantee they’ll never be allowed to fly with the pope again. Several years ago, I asked special permission to fly back from a trip on my own, since I had been asked to speak the next day in Washington, DC for the American presentation of Benedict XVI’s book Jesus of Nazareth by the papal ambassador, who at the time was Archbishop Pietro Sambi. The request had to go all the way to the secretary of state, then Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, to get the green light. Even then, it was clear officials on the plane weren’t thrilled with the precedent they feared was being set.

I later asked Sambi why the Vatican was so concerned about how reporters got home, since we’d already paid for the ticket and presumably having one or two fewer passengers on board would make things a little easier. Sambi’s answer was simplicity itself: “The pope cannot be allowed to fly on an empty plane,” he said. “It might look like the trip was a disappointment.” The return flight By now, Alitalia has flown popes so often the carrier has become a bit blasé about the whole thing. It used to be that when reporters boarded a papal flight, Alitalia would provide sacks full of swag – bottles of wine and perfume, cartons of cigarettes, boxes of chocolate, and so on. Today, the only real memento Alitalia provides is a cloth headrest with the papal seal that most reporters snag from the back of their seats as they disembark. When the pontiff takes the national carrier of a country on the way back to Rome, however, things are often different. Those carriers rarely get to ferry a pope, so they make a big deal out of it. Often they provide a larger aircraft, so people can spread out, and the food and beverage service is usually first-rate.

In the old days, reporters thus looked forward to the return flight because it meant relaxation time. The story was basically done, so you had several hours to hang out with colleagues, enjoy a good meal, maybe watch a movie, or just catch up on days of missed sleep. With Francis, however, all that has changed because of the press conference. Generally, the session begins about a half-hour after takeoff and runs for an hour. He usually speaks in Italian, so English-speaking reporters divvy up his comments afterwards to translate them into English, often having to play and replay the tape several times to get it right. The remaining time generally is spent hammering out stories or preparing material for broadcast upon landing, so there’s precious little time to catch one’s breath. Nobody’s complaining, of course, since those airborne news conferences are a precious gift to the media. On the other hand, they do mean that traveling with the pope has become a more demanding affair, which is one more way of confirming that Francis really is a change agent.

Share: Purdue alum honored to fly 'Shepherd One' - Purdue Polytechnic Institute Home / Purdue alum honored to fly 'Shepherd One' Purdue alum honored to fly 'Shepherd One' Written by Steven Lincoln | October 21, 2015 | for the payoff , professional flight Tom Murray, a 1982 professional flight alumnus, was the first officer on all four legs of the chartered flight for Pope Francis’s tour of the United States in early October. The assignment is the latest for Murray during a long career in the Air Force and at American Airlines. A decorated veteran of Desert Storm, he was a captain in the U.S. Air Force, where he was a C-141 Aircraft Commander. At American Airlines, he has been a captain on Boeing 727, 767, and 777 as well as the Airbus 300. He has also served as check airman and international standards coordinator on the Boeing 777 and Airbus 300. Murray says his Purdue experience was a great start to his career. “The staff and professors are excellent,” he said.

“The simulators, flight and mechanic labs were perfect for a military and airline career. Having Purdue airport and all those facilities right there is an exceptional resource.” Murray and his wife, Donna, have three children. -- Flying Pope Francis – Purdue alum honored to fly 'Shepherd One' An article by The Monitor , newspaper of the Diocese of Trenton, NJ, used with permission. By EmmaLee Italia | Correspondent Captain Thomas Murray, a pilot for American Airlines, knew from a very early age that he wanted to be a pilot – proving his determination by flying in gliders at age 12 and single-engine planes by 16. He could have never anticipated, however, being asked decades later to be second-in-command aboard a plane carrying the Holy Father. Like his predecessors, Pope Francis’s transportation from state to state during his first visit to the United States would be aboard a flight chartered by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from American Airlines.

Flown by American Airlines personnel, including Murray, the Boeing 777-200 aircraft traveled under the Federal Administration Aviation-approved call sign “Shepherd One.” In preparation for the flights carrying the Pope, the papal seal was affixed to the side of the aircraft, and papal flags flew on either side of the plane’s front window upon landing. After picking up the plane at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport, the pilots brought the aircraft to Joint Base Andrews, just outside of Washington, D.C. The Pope boarded the aircraft Sept. 24 for a 4 p.m. flight to New York, en route to Vespers at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Murray also piloted Pope Francis’s subsequent flight to Philadelphia Sept. 26 for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families, as well as his return flight to Rome on Sept. 27. Murray, who goes by Tom, was approached by a member of management at American Airlines to be on the flight crew for Shepherd One – an assignment he took very seriously. “This was a very special trip,” Murray said. “We received extraordinary cooperation from air traffic control and the Secret Service.

Everyone went well out of their way to help us.” “Tom’s primary focus wasn’t the glitz and glamour [of the assignment],” said his wife, Donna. “It was to keep the Holy Father safe.” Donna explained that Tom was the pilot on board with the most flight hours on that model aircraft – 4,000 to 5,000 hours. That and his status as a flight instructor and background in airplane mechanics gave him solid credentials. “I think it helps to be highly qualified on the Boeing 777 – and to be Catholic,” Capt. Murray admitted. Murray is a check airman – a pilot who “helps other pilots transition to new aircraft … by giving them experience in the new aircraft after extensive training at our training center in Dallas,” he said. Murray earned his first pilot’s licenses while growing up on Long Island, N.Y. He applied for flight school at Purdue University, but had to wait for a spot to open, according to Donna. In the meantime, he received instruction in airplane mechanics. He eventually graduated from Purdue in 1982 with a degree in aviation technology, and instructed new flying students for the school.

Murray also joined the Air Force Reserve in 1982 and served there until 1992. After joining American Airlines in 1984, he became a captain at the age of 30, one of the youngest, he says, in the company’s history. Murray is also a Desert Storm veteran. St. Paul’s pastor, Msgr. Joseph N. Rosie, alerted St. Paul School students to the Pope’s flight path of during the opening of the school year Mass on Sept. 24. “I know the pilot,” he said, “So if you look up at the sky around 4:30, I asked him if he could fly the Pope over our school!” Murray confirmed that the flight did indeed take the Holy Father very near Mercer County on the New York and Philadelphia routes. Murray lives a life of service even outside his piloting work, serving on the school board of St. Paul School for 12 years in various capacities – on the facilities and planning committees, as chair of the finance committee and 2003-2006 school board chairman.

He is currently involved in strategic planning for Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, from which his three children graduated, and serves as a troop leader for Eagle Scout Troop 28 in Lawrenceville. The flight crew members were blessed to receive an audience with the Holy Father on the flight back to Rome. Murray said he was struck by Pope Francis’ humility. “He (was) very much the same man you see on T.V.,” he observed. “It was a tremendous experience.” To commemorate the historic flights, “I brought some flags to fly on Shepherd One with me,” Murray said. He intends to have the flags inscribed with the trip details and donated back to the institutions they represent. Wanting to give Pope Francis something memorable from his flights, Murray designed a flight patch to give to the Pope and another for the crew, using the Love Is Our Mission logo from the World Meeting of Families. The flight name, “Shepherd One” and the names of the pilots were included on Pope Francis’s patch, and his papal motto, “Miserando Atque Eligendo” ("Humble yet chosen"), appeared across the bottom. “It means ‘lowly but chosen,’” said Murray.

“I explained to (Pope Francis) that we feel the same way about being chosen for the flight – humble.” What does Pope Francis' plane look like? | Airlines | Dallas News What does Pope Francis' plane look like? Filed under Airlines at Get Daily Dallas News Headlines Sign Up Get Unlimited Digital Access Your first month is less than a dollar. $0.99 for first 4 weeks Subscribe Now So, what exactly does Pope Francis' plane for his U.S. tour look like? Fort Worth-based American Airlines, which is flying Pope Francis around the East Coast this week on his first U.S. visit on a charter jet, has shared some photos. I wrote about the plane earlier this week . American starts with a basic Boeing 777-200 plane. Then, the Vatican City flags (see photo at top) and its crest (see photo below) are added to the plane to make it an official "papal" jet. American Airlines technicians Alan Relph and George AggasÂ attach the Vatican City seal to the plane that will fly Pope Francis on his U.S. tour.

(American Airlines) The pope's first flight on that plane occurred this afternoon, flying from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. He will fly to Philadelphia on Saturday and back to Rome, Italy, Sunday evening. The American crew on board Shepherd One -- pilots, flight attendants, technicians, charter coordinators, security officers and an operations team -- are based out of Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, New York Tulsa, Okla., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. The airplane’s call sign will be Shepherd One. You can view the pope's U.S. schedule online . This is the Boeing that American is using to fly Pope Francis around the East Coast this week. (American Airlines) View Comments Pope Francis in the USA: American Airlines Boeing 777 is Shepherd One ~ Philippine Flight Network Image Source: Sky Talk The US Conference of Catholic Bishops charted an American Airlines Boeing 777 to transport Pope Francis on his tour of the United States. "Shepherd One" has been approved by the US Federal Aviation Administration as the official call sign of the aircraft.

Although no major modifications will be made to the aircraft, which typically seats sixteen in First Class, thirty-seven in Business Class, and one hundred and ninety four in Economy class, American Airlines spokesperson Ross Feinstein says that the Papal Seal will be placed on the aircraft. This will be only the second time that American Airlines has flown the Pope during a visit to the United States. American Airlines last flew the Holy Father in 1993, when Pope John Paul II was flown from Denver to Rome in 1993. However, Trans World Airlines, which was acquired by American Airlines in 2001, flew the Pope five times between 1965 and 1999. Although the Papal seal will be affixed to the side of the aircraft, the flight number will remain undisclosed under the request of the Secret Service, who don't want the public to be able to track the aircraft's progress. The American Airlines aircraft that carried Pope John Paul II in 1993 remains in service to this very day. The Boeing 767-300ER aircraft was scheduled to fly from Miami to Frankfurt on Tuesday, the day that Pope Francis touched down in the United States.

In his traditionally humble manner, Pope Francis continues to carry his own luggage. He was first observed carrying his own luggage in 2013, when he boarded the Papal plane to Brazil. As expected, he also carried his own luggage when he boarded his aircraft in Cuba bound for the United States. When asked back in 2013 what he carries in his travelling satchel, Pope Francis stated: a razor, a breviary, an appointment book, and a book to read. "I was carrying it because that's what I've always done," said Pope Francis. "When I travel, I carry it." Everything on board the American Airlines Boeing 777 will be marked with the Papal coat of arms. Once everyone is boarded, Pope Francis usually walks from his seat at the front of the cabin to the back of the plane to meet and greet accompanying journalists. When Pope Francis visited the Philippines earlier this year, he was flown round-trip by Philippine Airlines between Manila and Tacloban, and from Manila to Rome. Category:Shepherd One - Wikimedia Commons Category:Shepherd One Jump to: navigation , search English: Shepherd One is the international call sign of any aircraft carrying the pope onboard.

The airline which is used for such transportation is usually Alitalia — Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. airways. On the way back to Rome, the Pope uses a flag carrier from the visited nation. Deutsch: Shepherd One ist das internationale Rufzeichen von Luftfahrzeugen, wenn der Papst an Bord ist. Die Fluggesellschaft Alitalia — Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. ist dabei der hauptsächliche Transporteur des Papstes. Der Vatikan chartert ein Flugzeug für internationale Transfers des Papstes, da der Staat über keine eigene Fluggesellschaft verfügt. Auf dem Rückweg vom Ausland nach Italien benutzt er in der Regel die staatliche Fluggesellschaft des Gastlandes oder alternativ deren größte Gesellschaft (Flag carrier). Shepherd One bedeutet wörtlich übersetzt “Hirte 1”, da der Papst in der katholischen Kirche als oberster Hirte der Christen gilt. Auf nationalen Flügen (in Italien) wird das Rufzeichen volo papale (Päpstlicher Flug) verwendet.

Media in category "Shepherd One" The following 35 files are in this category, out of 35 total.

Question: Who usually flies in an aircraft with the call-sign 'Shepherd One'?
Answer: The Pope